UFC targets Georges St-Pierre v Nate Diaz this summer
Two of the UFC’s most bankable stars, Canada’s Georges St-Pierre and Californian Nate Diaz, could clash at UFC 227, as UFC President Dana White announced on Monday.
Nate Diaz, who has been absent from the UFC since losing a majority decision to Conor McGregor nearly two years ago, appears closer than ever to making his Octagon return, and it could be against a foe very familiar to the Diaz clan.
The California native has emerged as one of the biggest stars in the UFC, due in no small part to his two-fight series with McGregor in 2016, but has so far resisted all attempts that the UFC has made to lure him back to the cage, despite the UFC being contractually obligated to offer him three fights per year.
Talk of a bout with former two-weight world champion Georges St-Pierre could well be the type of engagement necessary to tempt Diaz from his hiatus, however, particularly when you consider that the Canadian holds a win against Diaz’s older brother Nick, dating back to 2013.
“We are working right now to put together a Georges St-Pierre versus Nate Diaz fight,” White said on Monday’s episode of the UFC Unfiltered podcast. “It is true. They would fight at 155-pounds.”
White also confirmed that the bout could potentially take place at UFC 227 in California in early August, also stating that he hopes to make a light heavyweight match-up between Alexander Gustafsson and Luke Rockhold for the same card. The event is scheduled to be headlined by a bantamweight title rematch between T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt.
If the Diaz bout goes ahead, it would be the first time in St-Pierre’s UFC career that he would compete in the lightweight division. His last fight was a successful challenge to then-champion Michael Bisping’s middleweight belt in New York last November. GSP relinquished the title shortly thereafter, citing stomach concerns.
